Bursting with flavor thanks to a zesty marinade, these paleo fajitas will be a family favorite in no time flat!! Versatile and healthy, these chicken fajitas can be served taco style or as a salad for those going more low carb! Easily keto and Whole30 too!
Time to take your taste buds on a trip south of the border!
Years ago, my good friend shared a recipe for chicken fajitas that she just loved.
I too thought is was great, but some of the ingredients I did not want to use, and there were too many to count!
So I changed the recipe to suit my preferences of ease and quality, and have been using the recipe ever since!
Smoked paprika is key in these mouthwatering Whole30 fajitas! They lend an incredible smoky flavor that can’t be beat! So don’t be tempted to omit it!
We come back this dinner again and again…so flavorful, and so simple to throw together!
Preparation and meal prep tip for keto fajitas:
- I like to buy a big batch of organic chicken, and before putting it in the freezer, I will make several marinades and let the chicken sit in the fridge (in the marinade) for a day before freezing it it for ready-made meals!! I use several minimal prep marinades for this as it is super easy to dump them in a bag with the raw chicken: THIS fajita recipe, Lemon garlic, Vietnamese, Asian Garlic, or Thai Garlic are our favorites. In 20 minutes, I have 5+ meals ready to go!
- FYI, slightly frozen meat is MUCH easier to slice thinly, and this recipe is no different! Having a super high quality knife is key too…in any kitchen!!
Special tools and ingredients:
- While most Worcestershire sauce is gluten free (check your labels to be sure!), if you are strict paleo or Whole30, you will need to make your own as commercial varieties have sugar. It’s OK to leave it out all together for ease, plenty of additional flavor left!
- I absolutely SWEAR by my 12″ cast iron pan for cooking—-nothing compares to the browning capabilities of this bad boy, and it is PERFECT for these fajitas!!
Additional recipes with Mexican flare!
- Skillet Tamale Pie – Like tamales? Try this skillet version with the chewy masa topping baked right over the top of a mexican ground beef filling!
- Gluten Free Oven Baked Chimichangas (family favorite) are extra crunchy and irresistable!
- Paleo Fish Tacos – A popular recipe for a reason, my fish tacos are simple to make and rival any road side stand!
- Quick Mexican Eggs – a one pot dinner ready to eat in under 30 minutes
- Low Carb Mexican Food Round Up @ Beauty & the Foodie
- Mexican Tin Foil Dinner (camping food!)@Faithfully Gluten Free
Serving suggestions for these paleo fajitas:
- I eat this served atop a bed of crunchy romaine lettuce dressed in my favorite chipotle vinaigrette!
- My kids eat these wrapped up in some corn tortillas
- When I am doing a carb meal , I love cassava flour tortillas! You can either make your own, or buy them….both totally delicious!!
- Topping ideas: sliced avocado, pickled jalapeños, sour cream (my favorite non dairy is the plain Forager Cashewgurt!), shredded cheese of choice, and sheep’s milk feta.
Paleo Chicken Fajitas Recipe:
PLAN FOR MARINATING TIME!
If you try these fajitas, let me know! How did YOU eat yours?!
Paleo Fajitas - Keto | Whole30 | Gluten Free
Boneless skinless chicken thighs are thinly sliced and marinated for an over the top flavorful and delcious version of skillet chicken fajitas!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs sliced into no more than 1/2" slices. See tip above!
- 1 large onion halved and sliced 1/4" slices
- 2 bell peppers sliced into 1/4" strips
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons avocado or coconut oil or other high heat oil
MARINADE:
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce omit for whole30 and strict Paleo
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Serving Suggestions:
- Corn or cassava tortillas, crunchy romaine, sliced avocado, pickled jalapeños, sour cream (my favorite non dairy is the plain Forager Cashewgurt!), shredded cheese of choice, and sheep's milk feta. I linked a favorite chipotle vinaigrette for a low-carb salad style fajitas!
Instructions
- At least 6 hours in advance, mix the marinade ingredients in a container large enough to accommodate the chicken and toss together. Marinate for at least 6 hours, overnight ideal. See time saving tip above.
- Preheat a large 12" cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
- Add in the oil of choice.
- Once simmering and almost smoking, add in the pepper and onion slices, stirring to coat with oil. Add the pinch of salt over the top. Let sit to char a bit, a couple minutes. Stir, then let rest again for approximately 1 minute increments. Keep going, stirring every 1-2 minutes until sweet, and slightly charred.
- Remove from pan and set aside.
- Let pan heat up again!!
- Add in the marinated chicken slices, along with the marinade if you like things extra zesty like we do! Do not over crowd the pan, one layer of chicken only, do in two batches if necessary.
- Initially, with all the liquid, it will look like and colorful soupy mess! Let it all sit undisturbed for at least 5-6 minutes until chicken pieces begin to char and most of liquid begins to evaporate off. Stir, and let sit again (another 5-6 minutes) to brown a bit. Once the liquid has disappeared, just saute a couple more minutes to brown the pieces evenly, and the meat is beginning to crisp and caramelize.
- Ready to serve! (See suggestions above)
Notes
Lots of serving suggestions and tips in the post above!
Nutrition
Calories: 289kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 22gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 530mgPotassium: 448mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1795IUVitamin C: 53.9mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Loved this recipe!! What a great and healthy take on fajitas! Loved all of the spices, color and textures!
What a great recipe. My daughter loved it so much
These Fajitas sound incredible and that tip about cutting up meat slightly frozen is worth it’s weight in gold!
This looks like such a fresh and tasty dinner – love that you have created a Paleo version of fajitas!
I love these tasty fajitas!
My daughter loves fajitas. I’ll try this at home. Thanks for sharing.
Now, this is freezer cooking that I could get behind! I’m not a huge fan of freezer meals but I love the idea of having standbys like packs of marinated meat on hand.
Paleo chicken fajitas will be perfect for my next party. I have a bunch of friends who eat paleo and who love mexican food!
I love fajitas and that marinade sounds ahhhhmazing!!! Perfect for Taco tuesday next week! (Because obviously I don’t limit myself to tacos on Taco tuesday.)
My family loves fajitas! Your ideas are fabulous. Thanks for sharing!
Great idea to buy the chicken in bulk and freeze in the marinades. Helpful planning tip!
Wow! These were SO flavorful and delicious! I made the chipotle vinegarette to go with , the avacado and a dollop of sour cream and it was an amazing combo! LOVE this recipe and will make it again in a heartbeat. ** Note- the sauce took about 20 minutes to simmer down and caramelize so this is a great time to prep the veggies . 🙂
Not only was this so easy but sooooo good! It’s another great way to make Mexican with a different flavor. With Tessa’s suggestion in another post, I purchased enough chicken thighs for 2 meals and made two different marinades, one for this recipe and another for the Vietnamese Chicken. Put the chicken and marinade into their plastic bags and freeze until ready to use. This meal was simple to put together . The 20 minute cooking time is needed to condense the marinade to give full flavor to the chicken. Highly recommended recipe!!!!
Love love love chicken fajitas. So simple, delicious, and gorgeous looking too !
This looks like just what we eat often for dinner. I love a big salad with protein for my active teens, and your Chipotle Vinaigrette sounds perfect!
That marinade sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
I can never get enough fajitas! Looking at your recipe made me craving for this already.
Yummy! I am hungry just looking at your photos. Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks for the post.
Great idea to serve this with crunchy salad, sounds so delicious!
I love recipes like this that I can eat on lettuce and kids can eat on corn tortillas. I’m usually trying to be low carb but that’s not what I serve the kids. Perfect weeknight dinner!
LOVE! Mexican food is my love language!
This looks so delicious, Tessa! I always order fajitas at Mexican restaurants but I really need to start making them more at home.
I love fajitas, but I’ve never tried to make them before. I’m definitely going to need to change that. 😉
So yummy! We love fajitas in my home. It’s such a fun meal and there’s just something about it that makes it feel like family-style comfort food. Your version looks so good, I love those flavors in there.
Being a Texan, fajitas are their own food group in my house! Love this paleo/keto version, although I admit, I’ll miss the cheese and fresh corn tortillas!
Omg making this for cinco de mayo! Too delicious looking not to try 🙂
Sure to be a hit! Thanks.
This looks so delicious and yummy , thanks for sharing.